“Why Do I Run?"

Posted: 23 March 2013

I’ve been running since I could walk. I was one of those children that all the elders in the township, Montshiwa township in Mafikeng where I spent the 1st 7 years of my life could always count on me to run to the shop and buy them their daily newspaper. I would run there and back without a single complaint.

I was, however, introduced to the modern type “structured” type of running when I was 7 or 8 years old. At first, I enjoyed being a running spectator for my Mom who used to running a number of races back in the day. After spectating a number of races and seconding her, I simple thought “Well, if she enjoys this so much, perhaps I should give it a try”. It started off with me joining my Mom during her training sessions around the track at Fort Hare University in 1992 and I’ve been hooked ever since.

So to answer the question “Why Do I Run”...I run because I feel a sense of freedom while out on the road. I get to see the great outdoors from a different angle to those who choose to zip past it all in their cars. I get to smell the lilies and the roses and feel the UV rays bounce off my skin, reminding me that I’m alive. I get to breathe in fresh air when I go out for my run at the crack of dawn. I run because I love it and I love it because it makes me feel human.